Sui Yunzhu watched as Gao Dazhuang twisted his way out and couldn't help but sigh. "Master Gao is a good man, though he responds better to soft words than harsh ones. Next time you see him, try to yield a little. After all, he’s nominally half a mentor to you!"
"In the Crane Control Army, who can be called a good man? I only acknowledge that he has a heart full of passion." An Jiu paused, then added, "A heart full of passion nurturing a fiery daughter's soul."
"Cough!" Sui Yunzhu nearly spat out his tea.
An Jiu frowned. "What’s wrong with you?"
Seeing her utterly serious expression, with no hint of jest, Sui Yunzhu quickly waved his hand. "Nothing, nothing."
Since their old acquaintance hadn’t been accommodating, the two settled for some light snacks at the teahouse before finding an inn to stay for the night.
An Jiu lay on the bed fully clothed, turning things over in her mind. To quickly assemble a formidable fighting force, it was impossible to start from scratch with new recruits. So where could they recruit martial arts masters?
Martial arts masters… martial arts masters… the Crane Control Army… the Crane Control Army… assassins…
An Jiu abruptly sat up and went next door to find Sui Yunzhu.
Silently slipping into the neighboring room, she crouched on a beam and saw Sui Yunzhu undressing to bathe.
After a moment’s thought, she suddenly spoke. "I’ve thought of a way. Tell me if it’s feasible."
Sui Yunzhu was startled, nearly flinging the hidden weapon between his fingers.
"Whew!" Sui Yunzhu threw on his outer robe and exhaled. "Our rooms are only a few steps apart. Why not knock?"
Even a clay Buddha would be startled into losing its temper.
An Jiu took this to heart and self-reflected. "That’s reasonable. I’m serving the court now!"
"We’ve always been serving the court," Sui Yunzhu said.
An Jiu leaped down lightly, her expression noncommittal.
Sui Yunzhu asked, "What was this idea you mentioned earlier?"
"I want to recruit assassins from the Bounty Board!"
The Bounty Board was merely an organization, and the assassins under its name were few. Most who took on its bounties were "freelancers," and some martial artists from the jianghu occasionally took jobs for the rewards.
Sui Yunzhu pondered. "That could work."
An Jiu felt a flicker of excitement. "I want to know how to win them over."
"Force, benefits, or perhaps appealing to their emotions and reasoning!" Sui Yunzhu answered without hesitation. "The simplest way is to defeat them, establish a master-subordinate relationship by force, then lure them with rewards. That’s the usual method in the jianghu. But there’s also a shortcut—competing for the title of Wulin Alliance Leader."
"Wulin Alliance Leader?" This was the first time An Jiu had heard the term, though she roughly grasped its meaning from the words.
Sui Yunzhu was slightly surprised by her vague understanding and explained, "It’s someone who commands the jianghu."
"That sounds good." An Jiu asked eagerly, "Where is the jianghu?"
"Eh?" Sui Yunzhu was stumped. "The jianghu… is everywhere…"
What kind of answer was that! Since he clearly didn’t know either, An Jiu changed her question. "How do I compete to become the Wulin Alliance Leader?"
"The martial world holds a grand tournament every three years, where a challenge arena is set up. Defeating all opponents allows one to challenge the current leader. If you defeat the leader, you take their place." Sui Yunzhu thought for a moment. "The current leader just took office last year. The next tournament is in two years."
An Jiu scoffed. "By the time I become Wulin Alliance Leader, Wu Lingyuan’s grave will be overgrown with weeds!"Sui Yunzhu thought about the fates of the previous two magistrates of Hexi County and felt this statement wasn’t exaggerated in the slightest. If Hexi County lacked the ability to defend itself, its magistrate would inevitably meet a grim end.
"It’s more reliable to win them over one by one. These next two days, we’ll split up—you’ll be responsible for recruiting ordinary strong men, while I’ll challenge the martial arts masters." An Jiu wasn’t overly confident in her combat skills; she simply had no faith in her ability to persuade others.
Though Sui Yunzhu didn’t doubt her fighting prowess, he still didn’t feel at ease letting her act alone. "We don’t need to rush these couple of days. Once things are settled, I’ll go with you. At the very least, I understand the ways of the jianghu better."
After some thought, An Jiu reluctantly nodded in agreement.
Once their plans were set, the two retired for the night.
Still shaken from earlier, Sui Yunzhu checked all the doors and windows to avoid another scare.
The next day.
News of the government’s household census spread like wildfire, stirring unease among many. Under Gao Dazhuang’s swift and decisive actions, the entire Xingzhou City buzzed with activity.
Sui Yunzhu took the initiative to notify the Xingzhou government office and set up a signboard at a teahouse next to it, announcing that Hejian Prefecture could accommodate the homeless with generous terms:
First, each adult would be allocated four mu of land per person.
Second, not only would they be exempt from taxes for ten years, but the court would also provide a subsidy of five taels of silver.
Third, regardless of their current social status, once registered in Hejian Prefecture, all would be classified as commoners.
These conditions were so favorable they seemed almost unbelievable—especially the last one. For those born into generations of lowly status, it was nothing short of heavenly news. Commoner status meant no longer being treated like livestock, the ability to marry respectable women, and the chance for their children to take the imperial examinations!
Sui Yunzhu hired a clever teahouse waiter to stand at the entrance and explain the notice’s contents to the gathering crowd.
Yet, even after a whole morning, though the crowd hadn’t thinned, no one had stepped forward to register.
No matter how generous the terms, one had to be alive to enjoy them!
An Jiu, dressed in men’s clothing and wearing a bamboo hat, sat behind a screen sipping tea. After a dull morning, she couldn’t help but ask, "Isn’t this basically telling them that Xingzhou and Hejian Prefecture are colluding to conduct this census? Why would they willingly follow us?"
Besides, what kind of place was Hejian Prefecture? It might as well be a hunting ground for the Liao Kingdom.
Sui Yunzhu lowered his gaze, skimming the tea in his cup as he replied calmly, "Our situation there is already difficult. If we deceive or forcibly drag along a ragtag group, they’ll only become a liability when trouble arises. What we need are people who understand—only when they know what they truly want will they fight with everything they have to protect what they’ve gained. If they have hope to defend, Hexi County will have hope."
The last part was a bit convoluted, but after careful consideration, An Jiu found it quite reasonable. She silently acknowledged that Wu Lingyuan had foresight in assigning Sui Yunzhu to accompany her.
"Hope, huh…" A faint smile flickered in An Jiu’s eyes.
The notice Sui Yunzhu posted stirred heated discussions across Xingzhou, but after two days, still no one had come forward to register.
Sitting around idly wasn’t An Jiu’s style—she was a woman of action.
On the third day, as she continued her teahouse vigil, An Jiu finished breakfast and lounged at the table, one leg propped up as she observed the sparse crowd outside.
Her gaze settled on a short, frail-looking middle-aged man, and her brow arched slightly.Sui Yunzhu followed her gaze and saw a man dressed in tattered clothes, his hair like dry straw, his face covered in grime—clearly a beggar from the city. But she quickly noticed the steady intensity in his eyes. Someone with such a gaze was no ordinary person.
Just as Sui Yunzhu was about to ask An Jiu what level of Martial Arts this man possessed, she turned her head only to find the seat beside her empty!
Looking back, she saw An Jiu already approaching the man.
A fourth-tier Martial Arts master wasn’t particularly high, and An Jiu’s Mental Strength far surpassed his. When the distance between them closed to just half a zhang, the man glanced at her but detected nothing unusual.
"Hey." An Jiu stopped and called out to him.
The man looked around. "You talking to me?"
An Jiu tilted her chin slightly, gesturing toward the notice. "Interested?"
Only then did the man grow wary. He couldn’t sense An Jiu’s Mental Strength, nor could he detect even a trace of Inner Force within her. Yet this mysterious woman had singled him out from the crowd of onlookers. His instincts told him this was no coincidence.
After careful consideration, he nodded.
"Then follow me," An Jiu said.
Her tone was flat, even cold, but spoken with such matter-of-fact certainty that it carried an undeniable authority, exuding an oppressive air that brooked no refusal.
The man’s heart tightened. "Just who are you?"
An Jiu curled her lip.
Her wide-brimmed hat obscured half her face, and the slight smirk appeared to him as an inscrutable, mocking expression.
Just as unease settled over him, that cool voice spoke again: "What’s the point of hiding like a rat? Dare to join me in snatching food from the tiger’s mouth?"
A petite woman uttering such audacious words in such a calm tone left the surrounding crowd momentarily stunned.
No one dared question her—because none of them would even dare say such a thing aloud.
"Haha! Well said!" A burly man nearby laughed. "The little lady speaks true! Snatching food from the tiger’s mouth—count me in!"
With that, he strode into the teahouse.
Though the man was large and imposing, he wasn’t a Martial Arts master. An Jiu kept her focus fixed on the beggar.
(To be continued...)
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